


Of Simple Delights, of Complicated Sorrows...

by ShineAgain12



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27084295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShineAgain12/pseuds/ShineAgain12
Summary: A newly risen, trying to cope with his new life as a Guardian. As unexpected as it may seem, a certain Titan Crucible master gives him support; from combat, to moral, to even emotional support.A slow burn, one that's hopefully satisfying unto its end.
Relationships: Guardian/Shaxx (Destiny), Male Guardian/Shaxx (Destiny)
Kudos: 16





	1. Disconcerting Origins

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping this comes off naturally enough.

The twilight of the setting sun illuminated the Last City and its surroundings, save for this desolate and unassuming building. An unseen figure was situated behind the structure, leaning against a wall in the shadows. They sobbed uncontrollably and messily, tears rolling freely down their face. They shook uncontrollably and almost violently. They were alone, they _felt_ alone in this new and unfamiliar place. 

Earlier… 

“I’ve found you! I’ve finally found you…” The strange orb whizzed around the human male, armor starting to materialize around his body. He glanced down as the unfamiliar material moved up his body, oddly comfortable and snug on his flesh, yet his mind was preoccupied with other pressing matters. A look of horror and confusion started to paint his face. 

_What was happening...?_

He was frozen in place, his thoughts constantly shifting loudly in his head. Tears gently and readily stream down his face. A choked noise of anguish and confusion escaped his throat abruptly. He glanced around quickly and urgently, trying to find an escape from this. He noticed eyes on him, unfamiliar faces, ones of awe and wonder. It didn't help his current state at all. He pushed past an entranced woman and dipped into an alleyway. "W-wait!" The same robotic voice from just a moment earlier called out to him. There were a few gasps and shouts from the crowd when he bolted away from them. He kept running, unsure of where to go, just away from here, to be by himself… He ducked through some side streets, performing various maneuvers to hopefully break his trail from any pursuers. The people along the streets glanced at him running past, wondering what had gotten into him, yet not sensing anything amiss. He kept running until his lungs hurt, finally finding a building. He glanced around and noticed no one had seemed to have followed him nor were there anyone else here. He hurried behind the building, quite frightened. 

…

The ambient light started to fade, indicating that it was about to transition to night. Some orange lights seemed to flicker on the walkway to his right. They didn't illuminate anything very well beyond their vicinity, which thankfully to him didn't include his hiding spot. His crying started to wane a little, but he couldn't help but stay curled up in his current position. It was comforting to him even for a fleeting moment. After what seemed like a long time, he heard something approach his vicinity, not quite towards him, but it was meandering around, as if it was looking for something, for someone perhaps. The footfalls were a bit heavy yet deliberate as if they weren't trying to stay hidden, but still had an ounce of discretion. As if they wanted to be known. He felt fear and apprehension wash through him, causing his breath to hitch softly and more silent tears sliding down his face. He glanced around and realized that he cornered himself. An extremely high wall stretched above him as well as another building cutting off his path towards his left. His gaze stood to the right hoping that whoever or whatever it was didn't find him, staying as still as possible and hoping his breathing didn't give him away. He started to see what looked like a flashlight of sorts, aiming towards spots in the darkness that weren't already illuminated by the incandescent streetlights. Fear started to take hold again causing the tears to stream heavily again. He was frozen again, unsure of what to do now seeing he was about to be found. He spaced out, and started shaking again, being consumed by his rushing thoughts once more.

…

A choked sob emanated from the alleyway to their left. The single horned Titan and a Ghost exchanged a glance and rounded the corner. They saw a familiar sight; a newly risen unable to immediately cope with their predicament. The reports were accurate, and quite fateful that he found them first. He walked over to the shaking form, huddled up against the building. He knelt down to the figure. The Ghost dimmed the light it was shining a bit and rose overhead, illuminating the alleyway, but not too harshly. A risen male… They saw the figure's face was quite puffy and red from his crying, with a look of terror on his face as well as his eyes welling up again, but didn't seem to react to them approaching, nor did it to the light being shined upon him. called out to them softly. "Are you alright?" He reached out a hand tentatively, hoping for a response. His words roused a response from the newly risen, causing him to cringe slightly away from the Titan. The Titan stood firm however but did not approach any further, keeping his hand stretched outward. "Now, now. It's alright, I'm not going to harm you." He said softly. The figure seemed to relax a bit and glanced at the hand for a moment of deliberation, before accepting it. The Titan pulled them both up to their feet, before having to catch the other as their legs started to buckle underneath him. "I've got you, don't worry…" He puts an arm around the other male and helps him keep steady as they start walking towards the street. The Titan glanced down at the newly risen male, and noticed that he had stopped crying but had a thousand yard stare, yet mixed with a look of defeat. He glanced back forward until the three of them walked out of the dark alleyway into the lit street. The Titan nods to the ghost, and thanks them for their assistance, before it vanishes, as well as the pair.

…

The pair materialized in the Hanger of the Tower. The Titan held up the other as they walked slowly through the Hanger. A hooded figure glanced over and whistled before speaking. "Got another 'fresh piece of meat' there, Shaxx?" The Titan sneered. "Shut up, Cayde." Shaxx then spoke to the male he was holding up while still looking straight ahead. "Can you walk?" Shaxx waited for an answer, which was given not a moment later. "I think I can, yeah…" His voice was raspy and strained. Shaxx lowered the male and let him steady himself on his arm. The male stood up straight and popped his joints all along his body, grunting lightly. Shaxx noticed his attire clearly now; he was definitely a Titan. "Follow me. Your Ghost is expecting you." The Titan didn't say anything. Cayde spoke up again in jest "Silent type, eh? You got yourself a catch, Shaxx!" Shaxx didn't bother dignifying him with a response and instead strided angrily out of the Hanger, not waiting for the Titan to follow. The Titan did not fall behind, much to the relief of Shaxx. He glanced back at the Titan and he seemed just as solemn and despondent as he was earlier. He made no comment about it as they reached the Tower's Courtyard, where a small group of people were gathered seemingly waiting for something or someone. They all slowly noticed the two walk up. A Ghost strided forward and met the Titan beside Shaxx but didn't immediately say anything. It studied the Titan's face before asking Shaxx. "...What's wrong with him?" Shaxx gave a shrug before a woman spoke up behind them. "Newly risen sometimes do not always take their new beginnings very well. I expect he's still getting used to it. Give him time." The Ghost stared back at the Titan but said nothing. The Titan gave it a short stare in response then went back to staring at nothing in particular. Seeing as everything was resolved, the group seemed to disperse after a few words were exchanged. Shaxx turned to the duo. "I don't normally offer something like this due to my current duties, but I want to train you in the basics if you'll have me, Titan." The Titan glanced back at Shaxx, and gave a slight nod, before glancing away, as if unsure what he had done. "Excellent. I shall see you two tomorrow, around noon." Without any delay, he strided off around a corner, his notable footfalls echoing off until they vanished into the white noise of the Tower. 

…

The Ghost spoke after a while. "You must be tired after today. You don't need to speak." The pair materialized into a room at that moment. "I understand that you may need some space to sort out your thoughts properly. I'll be here if you want to ask anything, but I won't intrude. As if that was the end of the conversation, the Ghost seemed to disappear to parts unknown, leaving the Titan to himself. He looked around and noticed a simple bed, and a doorway leading to what he assumed was a bathroom. He laid a hand on the bed, and was surprised at how soft it felt, even through the fabric covering his hand, despite how simple it looked. He entered the secondary room and saw that he was correct. He started on the rather tedious task of figuring out how to take off this armor. The Titan seemed to struggle with the shoulder guards before they eventually slipped off, and fell to the floor. He continued with the chest piece that wrapped his upper body, taking it off like a jacket. The Titan glanced and noticed a mirror. 

_Is this who I am..? I look… familiar… but completely mysterious._

The Titan paused, lost in thought. After a while, they break from their trance and finish undressing, what was left being rather natural to take off it seemed. The approach the shower, and turn the faucet on to what he thought was an acceptable temperature, watching as steam slowly filled the room. He steps into the stream of hot water, emitting a deep sigh, the feeling being rather transcendent. The Titan’s mind drifts again, thoughts no longer rushing, but presented quite plainly. 

_Immeasurable loss… something that made me whole, but no longer is… No longer sure what it was or who it was..._

Tears began to stream down his face again; he clutched his chest, sliding down the side of the shower, curling up like he did earlier, and finally feeling the anguish-filled loss rush through him. He buried his head into his knees and sobbed. He mourned for that missing piece of his… After a while, the sadness passed, leaving nothing behind. He reluctantly got up and turned the shower off, drying himself and shuffling back to the comfortable bed. 

…

His mind empty, sleep took him gently and swiftly. His Ghost appeared soon after in a shimmer, noticing he was asleep. It hovered over his form, seemingly lost in thought. After what seemed like some internal deliberation, it landed on a nightstand close to the bed, and appeared to turn itself off.


	2. Forgiving Endeavors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dreams are weird. Such odd things that never make a lick of sense and don't really tell you anything.
> 
> Cold posting another chapter, whew!
> 
> Some small tidbits~:
> 
> It was implied that he didn't get a helm initially as the place he was risen was generally safe; which is why Shaxx could see his face.  
>  ~~This takes place in the early City history; perhaps before Twilight Gap. Due to the incredible vagueness of dates, I couldn't guess how long before Twilight Gap.~~  
>  This now takes place pre-Forsaken, but post-Red war, partially because I've never played Destiny 1 and had/have no idea what the first Tower looked like, and because anything prior to even that is also incredibly vague. After infinite zero hour runs as well as a glimpse, I will say the D1 tower is many times better than the current tower.   
> This Guardian is not *The* Guardian.  
> That Ghost with Shaxx was not Shaxx's, nor was it the Guardian's.  
> This Shaxx may be a *tad* out of character if you blink. Or maybe it isn't?

The dreams that echoed through the Guardian's mind were not peaceful ones. The past day seemed to flash back at him in echoes, with the sense of dread lightly outlining all of them. The enclosing walls, the endless dead ends, the darkening sky… All those things seem to stretch above him, making him feel infinitely small. 

And yet.

Something made it less terrible. He remembered the feeling of steadiness and peace that that man brought with him. It was unexpected, and unprecedented in retrospect; he didn’t seem like the kind of person to do something like that. He expected anger, a slap to the face; not grace or compromise. What did he have to lose after all; the man didn’t want to harm him. Only ideas, images, and feelings of peace seemed to be associated with this ‘savior’ of his psyche, and without any hesitation, he embraced this image. The dread melted away, but the scene didn’t last as long as he wanted it to. 

..!

A mechanical voice rang gently in his ear. Indecipherable, just barely out of reach of comprehension. He groggily opened his eyes and stared up at the floating orb that was with him earlier. Unconsciously, he quickly sat up and backed up against the wall out of fright, but then relaxed when he finally realized what it was. The floating eye seemed to pause at his reaction, but ultimately attributed the action as something instinctual rather than one of animosity. “You’re up finally, good. We have to be somewhere soon if you remember, but I wanted to discuss some things since you didn’t seem to have any immediate questions.” “If we must.” he replied plainly. He got up out of bed, bare as the day he was born, and born again… The Ghost didn’t seem to particularly care, and then started to materialize armor around his form again. “I forgot to give you something to wear besides your armor.” It stopped at his head. “Did you want a helmet too? You don’t need it currently but if you want.” He shrugged at the suggestion before replying. “I may as well. I still don’t understand the point of this... armor.” The Ghost closed its eye and spoke. “All will be explained as I said. We must go now, so I have some time to explain it all.”  
They materialized out of the room instantly. 

…

They re-materialized in what appeared to be a park. It seemed to be morning, the sun angled down upon them, illuminating the area very well. He glanced around and noticed the walls in the distance, but something else caught his attention immediately, one he was surprised that he didn’t notice earlier; there was a massive spherical object that seemed to dwarf the city in size. He felt an odd sense of peace from it, but it didn’t look to be doing anything in particular; it was bland and unassuming aside from its size. His trance was broken by the familiar mechanical voice. “That thing you’re looking at is the Traveler.” Without setting his gaze off the thing, he replied, “I feel a sense of peace from it. What is it exactly?” The Ghost hummed for a moment. “We don’t actually know entirely. What we do know is that it has a… thing called Light that lets you do unreal things. Really odd, even coming from someone that directly spawned from it, huh?” “You came from that thing?” “I did, yes.” “What is Light exactly? It’s not the same thing as sunlight, is it?” The Ghost chuckled. “It isn’t at all. It’s something that defies cause and effect, allowing me to revive you so long as we have Light. It also gives you power, very real and strong… power.” The Titan didn’t see any reason to question it; everything seemed outlandish at the moment. 

After a brief moment of silence, the Ghost started again. “Well, besides that, there’s other things you should know about how things are.” The Ghost hovered in front of the Titan’s gaze. “You are Risen. Risen from the dead.” The Titan seemed mildly perturbed and confused at this revelation. “So I was alive at one point?” “Yes, all Risen come from the dead.” “Then why can’t I remember my past life? I feel like a new person in a sense.” The Ghost hummed; “All Risen are like that, they don’t seem to remember their past life at all. It’s probably something the Traveler thought to be beneficial for the Risen.” “Hmm.” The Titan seemed lost in thought. “Why was I risen from the dead exactly?” The Ghost seemed to pause, as if putting their words together correctly. “You were risen not necessarily as a chance at a new life, but as a means of helping humanity find its way back from the brink, and from opposing forces.” The Titan seemed to frown at that. “I don’t have a choice in the matter, at all?” The Ghost sighed. “No one is ever given a hand that’s favorable to them. What you choose to do is entirely up to you. You can choose to end it now and go back to everlasting peace if you want, or make something new of yourself. It’s up to you.” The Titan mulled over the choices presented for a while. “I may as well do something new for myself. I’ll fight for us then; I have nothing to lose it seems, and nothing to do with this extra life.” “I’m glad you chose to stay.” The Ghost continued with their explanations; what a Guardian was, that they were immortal and had more than one life, what their power of Light could do in particular, that he was a Titan, among other things. Soon it was midday, drawing their conversation to an end. “I can’t give you a demonstration; that will be Shaxx’s duty, hopefully. Speaking of which, we have to go to him now. I’d personally rather not keep him waiting.” The Ghost shuddered, and materialized both of them out of there. 

…

“Ah you finally made it, and not a moment too soon. As much as I enjoy pleasantries, we don’t have a moment to lose, Titan” The word from earlier that the Ghost used to describe what he was. A bit different from ‘Warlocks’ and ‘Hunters’. The three of you materialize into a much different zone; one suffused with wilderness all around them, but with a small clearing etched into it, one they were standing in at this moment. There were stumps, pieces of metal, and large rocks littered everywhere in this clearing; the latter seemingly intentionally placed there. “Now, you’re on your second day of a new life. We’ll take this nice and slow.” He walked over to one of the stumps, and began. “As I hope you’re aware of now, Light gives us a great deal of power to deal with combatants. It typically comes in one of three forms, based on three particular forms of energy.” A white hot fire erupted from his hands. “This is Solar energy. It’s basically fire. I assume you know how fire works, Titan?” He launched a concentrated ball of fire at a stump, which promptly went up in flames, and turned to ash. Without much hesitation, he moved onto a piece of metal that was sticking out of the ground. Electricity unraveled from Shaxx’s hands, traveling between his fingertips at unimaginable speeds. “This is Arc energy, or electricity in a sense.” Rather than throw a ball of electricity, he merely touched the piece of metal, causing electricity to visibly arc off of it, traveling and disappearing indistinctly into the air. The metal super-heated until it evaporated into plasma, eventually dissipating into the air as Shaxx removed his hand. He walked over to one of those stones. A passing thought occurred; did he move those in place himself? The thought was broken promptly by Shaxx’s booming voice, forcing him back into reality. His hands were suffused with a purple glow. “I hope you’re paying attention, Titan. The last energy is Void. Void is simply emptiness; not quite darkness, but… allow me to demonstrate.” Similarly to how he used Solar, he threw some concentrated Void at a stone, but rather than it catch fire, it disintegrated into a purplish glow, leaving nothing behind. “Now that you know the three energies, it’s time for you to create it yourself.” 

…

The Titan focused intently, trying to make Solar appear in his hands, like Shaxx did prior. “Solar has some basis in emotion; like a fire, something wild and free, but can be dangerous in excess. Let your emotions wash through you; don’t abandon them, but focus them. Careful not to blow yourself up.” He focused again, pinpointing his emotions in his mind’s eye. As if subconsciously, he brought himself back to his loss and anguish, causing him to freeze suddenly, and the energy in his hand to become volatile, exploding. He was flung backwards, landing on the ground with a strained gasp. He seemed to be in one piece however, but he was crying again, even if he didn’t mean to be. It was thankfully hidden due to his helmet. “Watch it! You’re lucky you’re still in once piece!” He tried to stand up shakily, before being pulled up to his feet in an instant by Shaxx. He pulled off the Titan’s helmet, and saw the puffy face. Shaxx’s tone changed. “Ah, I thought so. This time, don’t embrace your emotions, rather, let them flow through you.” The Titan stood again, focusing on his emotions and directing them through him into his fingertips once more. The anguish that was back was forced out of him, replaced with a feeling of deep serenity left behind. Instead of Solar energy erupting from his hands, Void did instead. “Hmm. Well at least you know how to form Void now; formed of a serene mind rather than a volatile mind. Try again, Titan.” Tears streamed down his face; not ones of sorrow, but of joy. “I-I don’t think I can.” He sobbed, the Void ebbing between his fingertips before evaporating into nothingness. Shaxx came close to the Titan and embraced him softly. “It’s alright… this is normal for your first time. Let it all out.” Choked sobs continued to ring from his mouth until it was all gone. The Ghost watched from afar, unsure what to make of the situation exactly. Shaxx let go of him after a while, and turned to face him. “All good now? Try again now. Perhaps, focusing on a different emotion.” The Titan stood away, and breathed steadily, focusing on an emotion; this time… Solar erupted from his fingertips, but didn’t explode in his face this time. He looked in amazement that it held together. Shaxx gave a nod. “Good job, Titan.” He flushed slightly at the compliment. “Now, for the last energy, Arc. This one requires a clear mind. Electricity is precise and direct, and has no room for diversions and upsets. Unlike Solar, if you’re distracted, you won’t explode thankfully.” The Titan closed his eyes and let all of his thoughts and emotions drift away until there was nothing. Once done, he focused on this nothingness, and Arc erupted from his fingertips, jolting erratically, identically to how Shaxx was doing it earlier. The Bravado returned to Shaxx’s voice and demeanor. “Very excellent job, Titan! That was the first hurdle, and it will only get more difficult from here on out. But! I will be here to help and guide you. For now, I want you to clear this area of all this debris. As an added challenge, you cannot simply use Void to solve your problems. Use Solar on the tree stumps, Arc on all the metal, and Void on all the rocks. Go now.” 

…

It took a while for the Titan to clear the area, all the while Shaxx merely observed from afar. The Ghost wandered over to where Shaxx was and watched with him. The Ghost spoke suddenly, just barely out of earshot of the Titan. “I’m surprised you acted this way towards him. I’ve always heard you were hard on Guardians.” Shaxx chuckled at that. “Would you be harsh with a mere babe? He’s new; he doesn’t have experience. Why would I be difficult with someone who’s had their world turned upside down not just a day prior?” There was more Shaxx wanted to say. He saw that face of terror and sorrow when he found him that fateful evening. He felt sorry for the poor thing, and knew being insensitive and harsh wouldn’t help anything. He’s seen many hardships, and none of them had made him any less sensitive, not one. His thoughts were broken by the Ghost’s reply. “I suppose you're right; that does put things in perspective now that you say it. I hadn’t even thought about him exactly when I found him; all I could feel was joy, that I could feel complete now...” The two returned to an agreeable silence, watching the Titan work through this exercise. He was gaining leaps in bounds over controlling the energies; he took less time to swap between the three, less time to manifest them, and eventually he was able to almost unconsciously use an Energy, seamlessly going from a stump to a rock with the respective energies. The sun closes on the horizon, turning the bright day to oranges and reds. Inevitably, the Titan finished his challenge. Shaxx walked towards the Titan, the Ghost following closely behind. “Very nice job, Titan. That concludes our work for today. I hope you come back tomorrow with a similar mindset.” The Titan went over and grabbed his helmet that was lying off to the side, before walking up to the two of them. The three of them soon after materialized out of the area. 

…

The Titan looked forward to the next day, he looked forward to seeing Shaxx again. The Ghost and him materialized into the familiar room, lights turning on slowly as the night seemed to intrude through a simple window. The bed was in the same state as it was when they left it; a bit messy but lived in. The Ghost broke the silent with a simple question. “How are you feeling?” The Titan processed the question for a long moment. “...I feel excited sort of. I want to see him again tomorrow.” He walked into the bathroom, the pile of armor no longer there which was a tad odd to him. “I won’t lie, I didn’t feel very comfortable around you, but I guess I’m getting used to you now.” The Titan’s voice echoed out from the bathroom. The Ghost felt glad upon hearing that. It didn’t say anything in reply, hearing the sound of rushing water from the shower fill the room they were in. The Titan, stripped bare, stepped into the shower, and sighed with relief. He found respite in its warm grasp, rather than idle misery like last night. He was quick with cleaning off the day’s grime and sweat, drying off relatively quickly, before stepping into the other room with a towel wrapped around his waist. The Ghost was humming absentmindedly above him. It noticed his state and materialized some underclothes around his legs and upper body. The Titan removed the towel and moved a bit in the garments before silently agreeing with the subtle comfort. He went back into the bathroom to hang up the towel before returning to the bedroom. He slipped into the covers, feeling as comfortable as he was last night. The Ghost seemed to break from its trance and asked an odd question. “May I sleep with you?” The Titan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “I mean, sleep close to you. I figured it’d help us bond more. It’s okay if you don’t want me to.” The Titan didn’t really think about it, and simply agreed seeing as there was nothing wrong with it. “Of course.” The lights started to dim as the Ghost silently landed right next to the Titan, both fading into quiet and peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this is as acceptable as the first. 3rd chapter coming soon, which is something I can say more hopefully vs my first fanfiction :X


End file.
